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Wayland downs LCU

It was a win Wayland Baptist University won’t soon forget, mostly because the Pioneers couldn’t even remember the last time they won a volleyball match on their fiercest rival’s home court.

Wayland outlasted 19th-ranked Lubbock Christian University, 25-13, 23-25, 23-25, 25-12, 15-12, Tuesday night at the Rip Griffin Center, taking over sole possession of second place in the Sooner Athletic Conference and avenging a home loss to the Lady Chaparrals on Sept. 14.

It was the Pioneers’ first win against LCU since the conference tournament in 2008 and their first win at the Rip Griffin Center, which opened in 2000. Wayland’s last win at LCU came in 1996.

“To win here, it’s been forever,” Wayland coach Jim Giacomazzi said. “None of the people that were in this gym were probably here when it happened, so it was a sweet win.”

Although the match went down to the wire and the Pioneers (13-6, 6-2 in SAC) faced a 2-1 deficit in sets, they were dominant at times. They took control of the opening set by winning 17 of 20 points during one stretch and never trailed in either of the last two sets.

Wayland finished the match with 12 more kills and 20 fewer hitting errors than LCU (18-6, 5-3), along with five more blocks. Giacomazzi said the Pioneers’ 13 hitting errors might have been their fewest in a five-set match during his four-year tenure as coach.

“I thought Wayland played really well and did what they needed to do, and we did not,” said LCU coach Jennifer Lawrence, whose team had a hitting percentage of only .103. “They hit well, they were smarter than us, they hustled, and they stayed in the rallies better than we did. I just thought they outplayed us.”

The Lady Chaps got 16 kills from Elissa Loynes and 11 apiece from Brittany Johnson and Bailey Jones, and setter Jordan Goings dished out 49 assists to go along with four kills. Chelsea Lyons and Nikki Ralston made a combined 52 digs to pace the back row.

Kate Trejos tallied 16 kills to lead the Pioneers, Desiree Luevano added 15 kills while committing only one hitting error, and Jennifer Wyatt had 13 kills with just one error. Anika Voigt supplied 51 assists and six kills, and she, Luevano and Tatiana Gonzalez made at least 20 digs apiece.

The Pioneers also got a boost from their fans, even though they were playing on the road. There were about as many Wayland fans as LCU fans in attendance, and those from the Plainview campus often were more vocal.

“The support at Wayland is just amazing, and that definitely helps in any game, especially when it’s an away game,” Luevano said. “They definitely add to the fuel, so we’re just so grateful that they came down for the roadie.”

It was the sixth consecutive win for Wayland, which started 0-2 in conference play. The Lady Chaps saw their three-match winning streak come to an end, along with their long home streak against the Pioneers.

LCU also fell into third place in the SAC, one match behind Wayland.

“We’ll just see how they respond,” Lawrence said, “and see what kind of team it is.”